MCKEEN’S 2023 NHL DRAFT GUIDE – Second Chances: Top 10 re-entry candidates

In a normal year, scouting hockey is marred by imperfection. Every year high end players get skipped over at the NHL draft for various reasons. Maybe they suffered through injuries. Maybe their team struggled, and it prevented scouts from getting a good read on them. Maybe their team was too good, forcing them down the depth chart with limited minutes and exposure opportunities. Or...maybe they just were not good enough. But thankfully human development is nonlinear and therefore unpredictable. Teenage hockey players are far from a finished product on the ice as their games mature just as the rest of their body and mind does. That is why it is critical to track players as they move through their second and third years of draft eligibility (or fourth years of eligibility for some European players).

The million-dollar question is…are we still playing catch-up as a scouting community following the resumption of play post pandemic? Last year, this was definitely the case as leagues returned to full seasons. But are certain players still growing exponentially as they try to recover lost development time? This is particularly true of players in the CHL and in Europe, where most junior leagues halted.

For those unfamiliar, North American players with birth dates from January 1st to September 15th, will be eligible for three NHL drafts. Players with birth dates from September 16th to December 31st will be eligible for two NHL drafts. And for European players (in European leagues), extend that eligibility by one year in both cases. Recently, NHL scouts have increased the rate with which they are selecting “re-entry” candidates, or players previously passed over. Contract limits have made it critical for teams to spread out where they select players from, in addition to their age. This has made second- and third-year eligible U.S. and European based players especially attractive. However, these players have had a lot of success in recent years too. Look around the league and you will see these players everywhere. For example, Calgary Flames standout defender Mackenzie Weegar was one. Ottawa Senators standout forward Drake Batherson was one. So too were Winnipeg Jets starter Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay Lightning rookie defender Nick Perbix.

Last year, four “re-entry” candidates went in the Top 100; Dmitri Buchelnikov, Lucas Edmonds, Mikey Milne, and Aidan Thompson. In total there were 42 taken, right around the trend of other recent drafts (roughly about 20% of all players selected). Let’s take a look at our ten highest ranked “re-entry” players for 2023, in addition to some comments from our scouting staff.

1. Adam Gajan - Goaltender - Chippewa Steel (NAHL)

Spending most of his year of first draft eligibility in Slovakia’s junior circuit, Gajan didn’t exactly have the brightest stage to show off what he could do. He finally got exactly that at the World Juniors, where he stole the show for Slovakia, posting a .936 save percentage in four games, winning the award for Best Goaltender. He had officially announced his commitment to Minnesota-Duluth earlier that month and has slowly raised his standing to the point where it seems highly unlikely that he won’t hear his name called at this next NHL draft. Gajan offers the size teams covet from their goalies and moves surprisingly well for someone that big. He’s confident in his net, able to square up to shooters and challenge them. While it was admittedly a small sample of games, the World Juniors showed that Gajan was able to take a significant moment and rise up to it, which is an important aspect of the mental side of goaltending. There’s still so much development that needs to happen here before his pro future is even a consideration, but he’ll thankfully have a long runway to work with in the NCAA. Teams are always in need of an infusion of talent to their goaltending pipeline, so at this point, it would be quite a surprise for Gajan to go undrafted once again, even though he spent most of this season in the NAHL rather than the USHL. (Ethan Hetu)

2. Jeremy Hanzel - Defense - Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)

Hanzel has always been a toolsy blueliner with a lot of long-term upside, thanks to a rangy, fluid skating style, the ability to handle the puck well at full speed, and a frame that has room left to fill in. The problem has been him knowing how to maximize his tools and put everything together effectively and consistently. Perhaps playing on a Thunderbirds team with an embarrassment of riches prospect-wise has rubbed off on him, as his game has taken major strides from last season to this one. One of the biggest signs of his growth was how he played while talented teammate Kevin Korchinski was off at the World Juniors for a month, taking the larger slice of the pie with aplomb and producing 10 points in 11 games. It's also worth mentioning that the vast majority of his offense this season has come at even strength, as he doesn't get much cushy powerplay time. There's a lot to like about Hanzel, and even better, there's likely even more upside still that hasn't been tapped into yet. (Derek Neumeier)

3. Juha Jatkola - Goaltender - KalPa (Liiga)

In his final year of draft eligibility, the last calendar year has been a whirlwind for Jatkola. It started this summer at the make-up WJC’s, where he stole the Finnish starter’s role from Ottawa prospect Leevi Merilainen. It then carried over to Liiga, where Jatkola became a dependable starter at the age of 20 (he turns 21 later this September). Jatkola relies on his quickness and athleticism because he doesn’t have a massive frame (listed at 6 '1). His improvement over the last few years has been phenomenal and as long as he continues to be aggressive in the crease, he could have a bright future. (Brock Otten)

4. Austin Roest - Center - Everett Silvertips (WHL)

A top ten scorer in the WHL for half the year, Roest ended up finishing just outside the Top 20. Everett started the season without many of their top forwards from last year and eventually decided to become sellers before the trade deadline, creating an opening for others on the team to step up, and the son of former NHLer Stacy Roest thrived with the newfound opportunity. He's a well-rounded center who is making notable progress in a number of areas, including skating, finishing, playmaking, off-puck play and faceoffs. His offensive game doesn't quite pop as much as his scoring totals might suggest, but he plays a very mature, fleshed-out game that makes a positive difference in a variety of ways. If he can continue going down this path he'll keep increasing his odds of eventually carving out an NHL job as a plug-and-play forward, which are always useful to have on a roster. (Derek Neumeier)

5. Yegor Vinogradov - Center - Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)

Last season was the debut season in the MHL for center Yegor Vinogradov and he played well, but considering his age, it was not especially impressive, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise that he went undrafted. This season, much due to his versatility, he made the Torpedo KHL roster right from the start, which is unusual for a young player, considering that he was trusted with a full-time role. Vinogradov did well in that role due to his combination of size, motor and skill. He’s a hard worker who plays a 200-foot game and he understands how to use his size to his advantage by driving the net to look for scoring opportunities. Upon being sent down to the MHL later in the year, Vinogradov showed that he can be an offensive leader too, as his contribution was a major reason for his team’s MHL championship victory. If he can translate that to the pro level too, the end result might be really interesting. (Viktor Fomich)

6. Egor Sidorov - Wing - Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

The appeal of Sidorov as a prospect is almost comically straightforward: he's really, really good at scoring goals, and does it with incredible frequency. He's certainly not a Connor Bedard level goal-scorer (nobody in the WHL is, or might ever be again), but he's nevertheless one of the best in the league, finishing with 40 this season, following up his 23 tallies in 58 matches last year. And this is in spite of playing on a Blades team that isn't exactly great at setting him up for easy finishes. Give him the slightest bit of time and space to get a clean look and lean into his stick and the puck is almost always finding twine. He's also excellent in the preceding couple of seconds, dusting or dragging the puck into the precise shooting spot he likes. The big question is whether or not he'll ever get quick enough to adjust to the NHL level, where such time and space are rare luxuries, especially since everything else about his game is lacklustre — if he's not scoring, he's not contributing much. Still, a player like Sidorov is absolutely worth the gamble with a mid to late-round pick. (Derek Neumeier)

7. Alexander Hellnemo - Goaltender - Skellefteå AIK (SHL)

A classic late bloomer, Hellnemo has emerged as one of the top young goaltenders in Sweden a year after being passed over at the draft following a disappointing year at the J20 and J18 levels. He won five games in the SHL as a U19 player and was arguably one of the best goalies at the J20 level when he played there (if you ignore his disappointing playoff performance). Hellnemo is a pure stopper. His movements are very refined for a young netminder, and he’s got a great glove hand that helps him protect the upper portion of the net. Rebound control is a bit of an issue at this current time, but with his play tracking ability, he has the potential to be a netminder across the pond. (Brock Otten)

8. Cole Knuble - Wing/Center - Fargo Force (USHL)

After a relatively impressive rookie season in the USHL where he was instantly one of Fargo’s top performers, it was somewhat surprising that Knuble didn’t hear his name called at the 2022 NHL draft. On paper, it feels as though a player of Knuble’s production profile who also brings the NHL bloodlines would be valued (his father, Mike, played over 1,000 NHL games for six prominent franchises). The main drawback with Knuble lies in his feet. He may not be a bad skater on his edges, but he doesn’t have the speed you’d like to see from someone of his size profile whatsoever. His main calling card is a strong commitment to two-way hockey combined with some strong offensive tools. He has a quality set of hands that are a major help to his offensive toolset, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to playing in the NCAA at Notre Dame, where he’s less likely to be so heavily relied upon as an offensive generator. After a dominating performance at the World Junior A Challenge and a strong year in the USHL (top ten in scoring), one would think he hears his name called the second time around, but he needs to improve his skating for him to have similar success at more challenging levels of hockey. (Ethan Hetu)

9. Erik Pahlsson - Center - HV71 J20 (SWE)

The third leading scorer in the Swedish J20 league this year, Pahlsson finished with a better or equal points per game average than many NHL drafted players. An intelligent and crafty pivot, Pahlsson is an extremely well-rounded offensive player who consistently makes his linemates better. His edgework and agility are good, making him elusive, however there could be a need for him to improve his quickness to be an impactful pro in Sweden or across the pond. Regardless, given his high-end skill and offensive potential, it would be shocking to see him go unselected a second time around. (Brock Otten)

10. Eric Pohlkamp - Defense - Cedar Rapids Roughriders (USHL)

After scoring just 18 points in 61 games last season, it was no surprise that Pohlkamp ultimately went undrafted in his first year of eligibility. The USHL proved to be a decently steep challenge, but this season all he did was rise to the occasion. Pohlkamp’s points production exploded, as he led the USHL in scoring by a defenseman and took home the league’s top defenseman award. There are nights when he looks like an entirely different player from the one that often struggled as a USHL rookie. He plays with quiet confidence from the back end, and he has all the tools to make an impact on both ends of the ice. He’s not the tallest, but he’s well filled out for the 5-10 frame he possesses. He’s a solid skater who does a good job at facilitating zone exits and moving his team up the ice, and when he’s in the offensive zone he’s smart about making his reads and choosing when to play aggressively. Pohlkamp is also armed with a massive point shot and has a desire to play aggressively defensively. A late addition to the U.S.’ World Junior A Challenge team, he ended up as one of the top defenders in the tournament. He's headed to Bemidji State next season and would be an intriguing player for a team to select and then track over the course of his collegiate career. (Ethan Hetu)